Taiwan Extends Period of Military Conscription
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has announced the extension of the military draft to one year from the current duration of four months, citing the perceived need for increased military preparedness.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has announced the extension of the military draft to one year from the current duration of four months, citing the perceived need for increased military preparedness.
China announced a series of new import bans on Taiwanese products late last week, primarily seafood and beverages, in what appears to be the mainland’s latest effort at applying economic pressure.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is defending a trip to mainland China made by party Vice-Chair Andrew Hsia which provoked criticism from within the opposition party itself as well as from the Taiwanese government.
The only museum about Taiwanese Comfort Women closed down this month after its four years of operating at a loss. The women’s rights foundation that runs the Ama Museum said that they would try again in a cheaper location beginning in April next year.
The Chinese government has begun parading imprisoned Taiwanese on television with the claim that they are Taiwanese spies. Televised confessions of guilt have been broadcast in order to reinforce this claim.
The Nationalist Party (KMT) caused surprise last week by proposing two resolutions regarding diplomatic ties with the United States that passed unanimously in the Legislative Yuan, a rare show of bipartisanship in Taiwanese politics.
A political spat between high-ranking Nationalist Party (KMT) and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) politicians broke out last month after comments by former President Ma Ying-jeou of the KMT regarding Taiwan’s national defense.
The Tsai Ing-wen administration surprised last week with the announcement that it intended to open Taiwan up to beef and pork imports from the United States. This move is clearly aimed at removing one of the major political hurdles to a bilateral trade agreement with Washington, which had made this a precondition for a bilateral trade agreement with Taiwan for well over a decade.
It took few by surprise that Chen Chi-mai of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was the winner of the Kaohsiung mayoral by-election.
Nationalist Party (KMT) chair elections resulted in the election victory of Taichung legislator Johnny Chiang over his opponent, former Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin.